Baker's Percentage Calculator
Calculate baker's ratios for any bread, pastry, or laminated dough formula. Enter gram weights — get instant baker's percentages and dough scaling.
Flour reference:(set to your total flour weight; everything else is % of this)
| Ingredient | Weight (g) | Baker's % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100% | |||
| 70% | |||
| 20% | |||
| 2% | |||
| Total Dough | 960g | 192% |
Total Flour
500g
Hydration
70%
Total Dough Weight
960g
What Is Baker's Percentage?
Baker's percentage (also called baker's math or baker's ratio) is a notation system used in professional baking where all ingredient quantities are expressed as a percentage of the total flour weight. Flour is always 100%. Every other ingredient is a fraction of the flour weight.
Baker's % = (Ingredient Weight ÷ Flour Weight) × 100
Example: 350g water ÷ 500g flour × 100 = 70% hydration
Why Use Baker's Percentages?
- Scale to any batch size without recalculating each ingredient — just change the flour weight and everything else follows.
- Compare formulas — a 70% hydration bread is wetter than a 65% hydration bread, regardless of batch size.
- Communicate precisely — professional bakeries share formulas in baker's percentages rather than absolute quantities.
- Spot imbalances — salt should be 1.8–2.2%, fat in enriched doughs typically 5–20%, sugar 5–15% for standard breads.
Common Baker's Percentage Benchmarks
| Ingredient | Typical Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water (hydration) | 60–80% | Ciabatta ~75–80%; sandwich bread 60–65% |
| Salt | 1.8–2.2% | Below 1.5% = bland; above 2.5% = inhibits yeast |
| Yeast (instant) | 0.5–1% | Slow fermentation: 0.2%; fast: 1%+ |
| Butter (enriched) | 5–20% | Brioche up to 50–60% |
| Sugar | 0–15% | Lean bread: 0–5%; sweet rolls: 15–25% |
| Eggs | 10–20% | Each large egg ≈ 50g = 10% of 500g flour |
Working with sourdough? Use our Sourdough Calculator for starter ratios and levain builds.